


The Great and Powerful...

by reaperlight



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Attempt at Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Emotionally Constipated Hux, Evil, Evil Comes In Many Shapes and Sizes, Evil Space Boyfriends, Humor, Hux just wants his sandwich, Hux to the rescue, M/M, Murder, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, SNL skit reference, Spoilers, Torture, into the trash compactor, villains in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-24
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 20:49:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5799586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reaperlight/pseuds/reaperlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes fear makes a thing seem much bigger than it really is. </p><p>Hux is irritated that the supreme Leader keeps stealing his Sith Knight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Great and Powerful...

Another of Kylo’s screams echoed through the cavern of Snoke’s hidden asteroid base. 

General Hux gritted his teeth. 

He hadn’t dragged Kylo Ren’s sorry ass out of the frozen forest, healed his injuries—at great expense he might add (did none of them realize just how expensive bacta tanks were? And he wasn’t just thinking of the fluid used but the multiple rows of tanks Kylo broke during one of his routine temper tantrums.) Not to mention personal inconvenience—he had to put up with the Sith’s bitching whenever Kylo had the most disagreeable temperament of being conscious. The point was he’d put so much time and energy into healing the irritating man only to have Snoke undo all of his hard work. It was almost akin to sinking years of his life into building the ultimate super-weapon only to have some pesky rebels destroy it. 

And if he was being perfectly honest with himself he kind of missed having the volatile Sith around… that is _it was hurting morale_ when Kylo was missed from the mess hall. Thanks to an overzealous packing droid only the Sith’s force powers could open the damn pickle jars and with Kylo out of commission he was… pickleless. (He had gloated, of course, he’d been most _insufferable_ about it but Kylo was just… convenient and really, it was fine, he could let the bratty Sith feel superior over this one, trifling thing.) 

Also Kylo owed him credits.

Really, Hux should just send him a bill for every console he’d ever destroyed. 

Hux’s nerves were past frayed waiting for the Sith brat to recover—it was just too quiet without Kylo’s tantrums. The Sith’s trashing his ship had almost become routine and it felt _wrong_ now without it. What’s more, no one else had dared to argue with him for weeks. It was all very… _boring_ without Kylo around. 

That was why Hux decided he needed to stop this. 

It wasn’t because Snoke torturing Kylo upset him or something.

Of course not. 

Not at all. 

Okay, maybe a little bit.

If for no other reason than Kylo was _his_ to torture. 

(But did it _really_ count as torture when the recipient enjoyed it? And reported for punishment frequently and outside of scheduled times? Sometimes the general suspected Kylo was such a brat with destroying parts of his ship just so Hux would have cause to punish him.) 

Hux also had written a grand, impassioned speech, highlighting all of the Knight’s shortcomings and stupid recklessness (How _dare_ he?! Didn't the idiot realize he almost died?!) that Hux had been anticipating giving the Sith bastard once he’d returned to consciousness—a speech Kylo could not properly appreciate it if his brain was fried to mush.

The point was that Hux felt he had already prepared Kylo’s discipline for his failures back on Starkiller Base and while Hux would be the first to admit he was ignorant in the ways of the Sith and the Force but even he felt that this was just overkill. Not to mention that the sounds of his screams was very demoralizing to his troops and making it difficult to sleep. 

Under normal circumstances Hux would not have even dreamed of challenging Snoke’s leadership (literally—working with Sith, and within the Great machine that was the First Order he had learned to keep his very thoughts carefully guarded). The very thought was absurd—that he would risk everything he’d ever worked for—all for the Sith brat! But… 

If Snoke hadn’t been busy torturing Kylo, Hux could never hope to contemplate what he was contemplating. But now Snoke was distracted. Hux well knew that with the Force Snoke could crush him at him a whim—like a bug—but he’d probably never have an opportunity like this again...

Hux felt his stomach drop at another pained sound coming from the chambers.

Another of Kylo’s screams ripped through the cavern and the decision was made for him. 

Nonchalantly and consciously feeling the weight of his sidearm for luck, Hux made his way towards Snoke’s private chambers where Snoke always sequestered himself. 

What he was considering was treason of the highest order but if he was to do it he might not get a better chance. Though he kept such visions to himself Hux always had ambitions, aspirations beyond his station, beyond his father’s programming. 

Hux swallowed and punched in the base’s override code with a shaking hand. 

Would it really be worth it? If he failed, death awaited him or more likely _worse_ than death. 

But if he was _right_ and if he could get in undetected… if Snoke’s attention remained on Kylo… 

There would be no witnesses—Kylo was being tortured in the reception cavern. Snoke never met them in person, preferring to hide behind the hologram. It was a testament to the Sith’s great power in the Force that he could even torture his apprentice remotely. 

There was no denying the Supreme Leader’s power—even Hux could see he was powerful in the force, he was a brilliant manipulator, he’d singlehandedly twisted the Solo-Skywalker family golden boy into the monster that was now Kylo Ren, and his holographic image filled an entire cathedral-sized cavern. 

That was his first clue that all might not be as it seemed. 

It didn’t take long for Hux to realize Snoke was compensating for something.

Snoke was powerful with his mystical mumbo jumbo, there was no denying that, and the image he projected was terrifying, but the rest of Snoke was just… smoke and mirrors.

Pay no attention to the Sith behind the curtain.

And Snoke was indeed hiding something behind that projected image. Something big… or perhaps _small_ would be a better choice of words. 

The General, as meticulous as he was, found it just as prudent to know the strengths and weaknesses of those he worked with as it was to know the same about the enemy. That was how, after much research Hux had discovered the Supreme Leader’s secret.

When Hux first identified Snoke’s species he was sure he’d been mistaken. He hadn’t believed it. He’d checked and rechecked and quadruple checked but there was no other species that matched in the archives.

Snoke was a Liliputian. 

Snoke was of average height for his species. 

That is, the Supreme Leader, the great and powerful Sith Master, was only five inches tall. 

Clearly size had no bearing on force ability. 

Hux had no doubt the Supreme Leader could have and would have killed him had he made any attempt before but while the Supreme Leader was distracted it was all too easy. 

The General crushed the Supreme Leader and Dark Lord of the Sith beneath his booted heel leaving only a small crimson smear on grey stone. 

The Supreme leader was no more. 

Hux took the time to bring his boot back to regulation sheen, cleaning off the blood, and assorted tissues—destroying the evidence of the deed.

Then he went to check on Kylo. 

***

“Oh yes, there was an intense battle and they killed each other. Or tried to, anyway,” Hux explained. 

This would not have been possible without Kylo Ren—it seemed only fair he share the credit. Besides for the First Order, killing your superiors was Treason but for Sith it was religion. No one would question Kylo’s loyalties if he’d been the one to off Snoke. 

Or _shouldn’t_ , anyway… 

“That is the Sith way, is it not? Kylo Ren came here to complete his training at the end of which the student kills the Master or vice versa should the student prove inadequate. Kylo Ren is still alive so I suppose he proved … _adequate_ … Well? What are you standing around for?” 

“But… He killed the leader. He’s a Traitor,” began one exceptionally stupid trooper. 

“ _You!_ Are you questioning me? Report for retraining and reconditioning,” Hux snapped at the hapless trooper. “ _You!_ Where is the medic? _Get to it!_ ” 

“At once, sir!” 

“And for the rest of you it’s not Treason. Have you forgotten that our allies are Sith? It’s part of their belief system—inconvenient for the First Order but unavoidable when working with these… _magicians._ I’m afraid. In the long run it’s a small price to pay. As for Kylo Ren, as of right now he is our only Force user. He is invaluable to us and our cause. See to it he only gets the best of care.” 

He had better receive the best of care or heads would roll, quite literally. 

He wanted his Sith back in prime condition and destroying parts of his ship by the end of the week… 

The rest of the troopers quickly got with the program. “Of course! At once, Supreme Leader.”

Huh… 

Supreme Leader Hux.

He kind of liked the sound of that. 

*** 

Hux glanced up from his datapad when he felt the Sith looming over him. Of course, Hux knew the moment Kylo was conscious—he had received the reports of six consoles that had to be replaced in the last half hour. 

Hux was surprised to see that for once without the stupid bucket on his head. Hux hated that bucket—not only did it make it difficult to discern the volatile Sith's moods (forcing Hux to learn to read the other man well, just as a matter of survival) but it seemed an awful shame to hide that face. Perhaps that was the problem—even with the new addition of the scar the scavenger girl had given him across his nose Kylo was still too pretty to be a Sith Knight. 

Probably no one took him seriously before he put on that bucket. 

Hux well knew that sometimes something as simple an extra coat could do wonders for the intimidation factor. 

Kylo himself was looking no worse for wear after his torture session with Snoke. Physically, anyway—he appeared to be back to his old, infuriating self. 

According to common courtesy at this point he should probably ask him if he was alright. Hux didn't though. knowing Kylo, the Sith Knight would probably take offense if he implied he was weak in any way and Kylo would see it as such, rather than concern. 

Why Hux should be concerned about the Sith brat anyway, he'd never know. 

The Sith Knight set down an opened jar of pickles onto Hux's workstation. 

Okay maybe the Sith was not _quite_ so infuriating today. 

Hux wasted no time in making a certain long, green improvement to his sandwich. 

It was only then that Hux noticed the small greeting card wedged beneath the pickle jar. 

“I got your chocolates,” he says in that irritatingly inflectionless voice. 

_Dark_ chocolate, of course. Kylo’s favorite. Hux had sent him them while he was stuck in medical along with a few "get well soon" cards l (and maybe a dozen fresh cut black and red roses... What? it passed the time and somewhat filled the void in his schedule which was usually allotted for having arguments with Kylo.) 

it seemed Kylo was now returning the favor... 

“Oh? Why thank you, Kylo. Or is it Lord now?” 

“Kylo is fine.” 

Hux arched a ginger eyebrow as he read the card. 

“After the rain comes the rainbow! Sorry I… poisoned your pickles.” 

Kylo had learned a thing or two about how to be sneaky from Snoke. 

Hux couldn’t help but wonder at the great progress the Order might make and just how many rebel scum they might kill if the Sith actually applied that kind of deviousness to his _job_ rather than to one-upping him. 

Aw, well. 

Hux sighed, resighned. “And what do I have to do to get the antidote this time?” 

Kylo force-slammed the door to Hux’s quarters to give them some privacy. 

It was the least he could do.


End file.
